Find out how Grantham taxi fares compare with the rest of the East Midlands

Taxi fares in the Grantham area is much less than neighbouring counties, according to Leicestershire Live.

Despite competition in recent years from private companies such as Uber, more than 1,000 cabs currently operate in Leicestershire. There are 337 Hackney cab licensing authorities in the UK, and these are ranked by Private Hire and Taxi Monthly (PHTM) – the trade magazine for taxi and private hire drivers and operators – according to how much they charge for a two-mile trip at the basic rate, known as tariff 1.

The figures are for taxis – also known as Hackney cabs – but do not include private hire vehicles, which cannot be hailed on the street and do not have their prices decided by licensing authorities. The national average for a two-mile ride is £7.18. So, how do Leicestershire’s councils shape up?

The most expensive place to catch a cab in Leicestershire is in Leicester itself, with companies charging £7.60 for a two-mile ride, although the city only just breaks into the top 100 of the highest UK fares, at number 99. The cheapest council area is North West Leicestershire, which comes in at a bargain £6, and sits at 303rd in the fare rankings, making it among the lowest in the country.

Also sitting in the lowest charging half of UK licensing areas are Melton and Hinckley and Bosworth – both setting their tariffs at £6.40 – Oadby and Wigston, whose cabs charge £6.70, and Charnwood, at £6.75. Harborough sits in the middle of PHTM’s rankings, at £7.09.

Nationwide, the highest taxi costs are based at Heathrow Airport, with cabbies charging £13 for the two-mile ride. Luton Airport, at £12.60, and Epsom and Ewell, at £11, are close behind. At the bottom of the bunch, Bolsover, in Derbyshire, enjoys taxi journeys at just £4.60, with Burnley and Cherwell just above at £5.08 and £5 respectively.

In neighbouring areas, whose taxis Leicestershire residents living on the county’s borders might sometimes use, Rushcliffe, to the north of Charnwood, Melton and North West Leicestershire, is the highest, with two-mile fees set at £8. While South Kesteven, which is to the east of Melton, costs only £5.30 for an equivalent journey.

County residents also benefit from cheaper journeys home than people living in Nottingham and Coventry, who pay £8 for a two-mile trip.